The Nokia E7: First Impressions – The Build

When you first open up the box what strikes you immediately is how good looking the E7 is. Nokia’s new set of designs are definitely heading in the right direction, and we are no longer saddled with the smartbricks they used to churn out before. The Black E7 is a stunner and I suspect the Grey metal version available will look even better.

QWERTY all the way!

If you liked the look of the N8, you’ll love this phone mainly because from a distance they look almost identical. Hiding a full qwerty keyboard in a phone which has similar dimensions to the N8 is just astounding. The brushed finish is definitely the way forward in terms of design and prevents smudges on the surface.

Super Shiny Screen

The build quality of Nokia’s phones has always been excellent. and the E7 does not disappoint at all. The phone feels solid and at no point seems like it will fall apart. The keyboard slider opens and shuts with a well built “snap”.

4" AMOLED

The keyboard is well laid out and easy to use, unfortunately accessing the keyboard is another story. Due to the slim nature of the E7, the slider access is a bit tricky at first. Most people who got a chance to check out the phone needed both hands to snap it open. With a 4 inch screen you have no choice but to use both hands while using the physical keyboard. though this is more a matter of getting used to, and shouldn’t really be a problem in the long run.

Born to be Wide

The external buttons on the E7 don’t seem as well built as the ones on the N8. The menu button seemed a bit jiggly lacking the usual solid feel. The Spring loaded volume slider works well for zoom functions, but as a volume control I miss the feedback offered by conventional buttons. The camera button is a bit too flush for my liking and accessing it is a pain, as the variation in finish is too subtle.

Jiggly Bits

But no option for a memory card slot? That’s a worry, but i guess the USB-On-The-Go feature makes up for that loss of extra space. The Sim Card slot seems to be hot-swappable at first glance but unfortunately even if you do try, the phone just restarts.

Designed in Finland

We’ll have more posts on the Nokia E7 coming out soon! Stay tuned to our Twitter channel for further updates! We’re @MyPortableWorld!